The Shared Lives Domestic Abuse Project is an innovative partnership between Cambs DASV and Cambridgeshire County Council's Shared Lives. Shared Lives carers welcome people with learning disabilities with care and support needs into their own homes for respite, as an alternative to placement in residential settings, with relationships often lasting many years.
The Shared Lives Domestic Abuse Project is supporting survivors with learning disabilities and autism who have care and support needs to keep safe and recover from domestic abuse. The year one report can be downloaded below.
For referrals and enquiries about becoming a Shared Lives Carer, please email Libby.Swannell-Bell@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
Learning Disabilities and Autism
The Us Too project was delivered by Arc from 2019-2021 and involved working with women with learning disabilities and autism who had experienced domestic abuse.
Two guidance documents were developed by the project group and quality assured by Cambs DASV - there is a guide for domestic abuse and sexual violence services when working with victims/survivors with LD and Autism and also a guide for social care (which can also be used by Health services)
Both documents can be accessed below
Us-Too-A-Guide-for-Social-Care-Services.pdf
Us-Too-A-Guide-for-Domestic-Abuse-Sexual-Violence-Services.pdf
Guidance for professionals working with people with Learning Disabilities who have experienced sexual violence and abuse
LimeCulture created this resource, developed with input from learning disability organisations and ISVA services, to raise awareness of local ISVA Services among disability organisations, and to support disability organisations to strengthen their internal processes to ensure appropriate referrals are made for the individuals they support. The DASV Partnership supported the development of this guidance and support its use across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Durham University, working alongside autistic people, have created a guide to help autistic people to navigate relationships and recognise the signs of both healthy and unhealthy relationships.
The document can be downloaded in standard and in Easy Read formats from the link below.
Below is a leaflet about domestic abuse that includes large print and pictures - it may be suitable for people with learning disabilities, learning difficulties and/or Autism.
The Self Help Guide is about recovering from sexual violence and is in Easy Read format.
Deaf survivors of domestic abuse
In Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Deaf victims are supported by Cambridgeshire Deaf Association, who also run the Freedom Programme in BSL. Please visit Freedom Programme (Domestic Abuse Course for Deaf Women) – CDA (cambsdeaf.org)
If you are outside of Cambridgeshire, any Deaf victims can be supported by Signhealth who have a contract covering the UK including the eastern region SignHealth Domestic Abuse Service
National organisation Deaf Hope have a range of resources as well as a national hotline (available 9-5 Monday -Friday) DeafHope – Together We Can End Violence (deaf-hope.org)
Contact the Deaf hotline nationaldeafhotline@adwas.org VP: 855.812.1001
Parents with Learning Disabilities
Parents with learning disabilities may experience a range of needs and difficulties, including a physical or sensory impairment and/or long-term health condition, mental health problems, domestic violence, substance abuse problems. A study of the US child protection system found that parents with learning disabilities are slightly more likely to experience psychological or emotional abuse than other forms of domestic abuse.
The guidance below comes from the University of Bristol and the Working Together With Parents Network.
Domestic Abuse and Visual Impairment Toolkit
This toolkit for professionals was developed by a collaborative of organisations led by Vision Trust as a response to the Safe Lives report The Unseen.
The toolkit can be downloaded from Sight Loss DV toolkit | Beacon Centre for the Blind
Lasting Power of Attorney and Domestic Abuse
The guidance below explains how a Lasting Power of Attorney can be used to perpetrate domestic abuse and how to report concerns